System and method for providing customized sales-related data over a network

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing sales-related data over a network. The method includes the steps of receiving a request for sales-related data from a user, receiving request-related information from the user and generating the sales-related data based on the received request-related information. The request may be from a user at a broker address. The method further includes the steps of accessing broker information from a broker information database based on the broker address and displaying at least a portion of the broker information with at least a portion of subsequent information presented to the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to an automated system andmethod for processing a query to a web-based database. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to an access and a query of adatabase or a data repository containing sales-related informationpersonalized for use by an entity's independent sales agents, brokers,distributors or dealers (hereinafter referred to collectively as“brokers”).

[0002] Many suppliers utilize independent (i.e., non-employee ornon-affiliate) brokers to extend their territorial reach or manpower andthereby increase sales of their products and/or services. A suppliertypically has various requirements, such as training, which aprospective broker must fulfill prior to becoming authorized to sellproducts/services on behalf of the supplier. Once the prospective brokeris authorized to sell the supplier's products/services, it is typical tohave a relationship whereby the supplier pays the broker a commission ora fee in exchange for a sale of one of the supplier's products/services.In a situation in which the broker is merely an agent acting on behalfof the supplier as a principal, the supplier may have control over thepricing of its products/services to an end customer. In such asituation, the supplier is the party actually contracting with the endcustomer, although the broker/agent may process a requiredproduct/service sales contract with the end customer.

[0003] If the supplier utilizes a large number of independent salesagents or brokers, it is frequently difficult to determine whether allof the brokers are using the most recent sales-related informationconcerning the supplier's products/services. For example, when providinga quote for an insurance-related product, the broker needs to receivethe most recent sales-related data to provide an accurate quote to aprospective end customer. However, it may take weeks for an update tothe sales-related data to be distributed to the broker, and for thebroker to use this update to the sales-related data in the broker'ssales activities. During the interim time, the broker may use, and theprospective end customer may receive, out-of-date sales-related data. Insome instances, by the time the broker receives the update to thesales-related data, the update is no longer current.

[0004] In certain regulated industries, such as the insurance industry,in order for an independent sales agent/broker to market, promote andsell insurance products/services on behalf of the supplier, such salesagent/broker must be licensed to sell insurance products/services ineach state or jurisdiction in which such sales agent/broker seeks theability to sell the supplier's products/services. Such licensurerequirements add another level of detail to the information which thesupplier must maintain as to such sales agents/brokers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The deficiencies in distribution of sales-related data to brokersset forth above can be addressed through the system and method of thepresent invention. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a methodfor providing sales-related data over a network is provided. The methodcomprises the steps of receiving a request for sales-related data from auser at a broker address; accessing broker information from a brokerinformation database based on the broker address; displaying at least aportion of the broker information with at least a portion of subsequentinformation presented to the user; receiving request-related informationfrom the user; and generating the sales-related data based on thereceived request-related information.

[0006] In another aspect, a system for providing sales-related data overa network is provided. The system comprises means for receiving arequest for sales-related data from a user at a broker address; meansfor accessing broker information from a broker information databasebased on the broker address; means for displaying at least a portion ofthe broker information with at least a portion of subsequent informationpresented to the user; and means for generating the sales-related databased on the received request-related information.

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a systemfor providing customized sales-related data over a network;

[0009]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of asupplier system for providing customized sales-related data over anetwork;

[0010]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed in amethod for providing customized sales-related data in accordance with anembodiment of the invention; and

[0011]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed inanother embodiment of the method for providing customized sales-relateddata.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREPARED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to thecorresponding elements.

[0013] The present invention is described in relation to a system andmethod for providing customized sales-related data over a network.Nonetheless, the characteristics and parameters pertaining to the systemand method of the invention may be applicable to providing customizeddata of other types.

[0014] In terms of a general environment and resources in or with whichthe invention may operate, the system of the invention may include acomputer system. The computer system may include a bus or othercommunication mechanism for communicating information and a processorcoupled to the bus for processing information. The computer system mayalso include a main memory such as a random access memory (RAM) or otherdynamic storage device, coupled to the bus for storing information andinstructions to be executed by the processor. The main memory also maybe used for storing one or more temporary variables or otherintermediate information during execution of a plurality of instructionsby the processor. The computer system may further include a read onlymemory (ROM) or other static storage device coupled to the bus forstoring static information and instructions for execution by theprocessor. A storage device such as a magnetic disk or an optical diskmay be provided and coupled to the bus for storing information andinstructions.

[0015] The computer system may be coupled via the bus to a display, suchas a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or anotherdevice, for displaying information to a computer system user. An inputdevice, including a plurality of alphanumeric and other keys, may becoupled to the bus for communicating information and command selectionsto the processor. Another type of input device such as a cursor control,a mouse, a trackball, or one or more cursor direction keys may be usedfor communicating directional information and command selections to theprocessor and for controlling cursor movement on the display. The inputdevice typically should have two degrees of freedom in two axes, a firstaxis (e.g., an x axis) and a second axis (e.g., a y axis), that allowsthe input device to specify a plurality of positions in a plane.

[0016] The invention is related to the use of the computer system forproviding personalized access to information in a sales-relateddatabase, using a computer, a network and other resources. According toone embodiment of the invention, a method of providing personalizedaccess to information in the sales-related database may be conducted viathe computer system in response to the processor executing one or moresequences of one or more instructions stored in the main memory. The oneor more instructions may be read into the main memory from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as the static storage device. Executionof the one or more sequences of the one or more instructions stored inthe main memory causes the processor to perform the steps in the methoddescribed herein. One or more processors in a multi-processingarrangement may also be employed to execute the one or more sequences ofthe one or more instructions stored in the main memory. In alternativeembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of, or incombination with, software instructions to implement the invention.Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specificcombination of hardware circuitry and software.

[0017] The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anymedium that participates in providing the one or more instructions tothe processor for execution. The computer-readable medium may take manyforms, including but not limited to, a non-volatile computer-readablemedium, a volatile computer-readable medium, and a transmissioncomputer-readable medium. The non-volatile computer-readable medium mayinclude a dynamic memory, such as the main memory. The transmissioncomputer-readable medium may include a coaxial cable, a copper wire anda fiber optic network, including one or more wires that comprise thebus. The transmission computer-readable medium may also take the form ofa plurality of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common formsof computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, aflexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape and any other magneticmedium, a CDROM, a DVD, and any other optical medium, one or more punchcards, a paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, aRAM, a PROM, an electrically-programmable read-only memory (EPROM), aFLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or a cartridge, a carrier wave asdescribed hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer canread data stored therein.

[0018] Various forms of computer readable media may be involved inexecuting the one or more sequences of the one or more instructions bythe processor. For example, the one or more instructions may initiallybe borne on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computercan load the one or more instructions into a dynamic memory and can sendthe one or more instructions over a telephone line using a modem. Amodem local to the computer system can receive the one or moreinstructions sent over the telephone line and can use an infraredtransmitter to convert the received one or more instructions to aninfrared signal which acts to carry the converted one or moreinstructions. An infrared detector coupled to the bus can receive theconverted one or more instructions carried in the infrared signal andcan place the received one or more instructions on the bus. The buscarries the received one or more instructions to the main memory, fromwhich the processor retrieves and executes the received one or moreinstructions. The one or more instructions received by the main memorymay optionally be stored on a storage device as described herein, eitherbefore or after execution by the processor.

[0019] The computer system may also include a communication interfacecoupled to the bus. The communication interface provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link that is connected to a localnetwork or another network. For example, the communication interface maybe an integrated service digital network (ISDN) card or a modem toprovide a data communication connection to a corresponding type oftelephone line. As another example, the communication interface may be alocal area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connectionto a compatible LAN. Wireless links also may be implemented. In any suchimplementation, the communication interface sends and receiveselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams representing various types of information.

[0020] The network link typically provides data communication throughone or more networks to other data devices. For example, the networklink may provide a connection through a local network to a hostcomputer, a server or to other data equipment operated by an InternetService Provider (ISP) or other entity. The ISP in turn provides datacommunication services through the world wide packet data communicationnetwork, now commonly referred to as the “Internet”. The local networkand the Internet both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signalsthat carry digital data streams. The signals through the variousnetworks and the signals on the network link and through thecommunication interface, which carry the digital data to and from thecomputer system, are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting theinformation.

[0021] The computer system can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), the network link, and thecommunication interface. In the Internet example above, a server mighttransmit requested code for an application through the Internet, theISP, a local network and the communication interface. In accordance withthe invention, one such application may be used for operating andmaintaining the computer system described herein. The received requestedcode may be executed by the processor as it is received and/or stored ina storage device, or other non-volatile storage for later execution. Inthis manner, the computer system may obtain code for an application viaa carrier wave or other communications means.

[0022]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system100 for providing sales-related data in accordance with the invention.The system 100 may include a supplier site 110, having a database 120, anetwork 101, a plurality of ISPs 131, 141, 142, and a plurality of usersor clients 133, 134, 143, 144.

[0023] The network 101 may comprise any appropriate network, such as,for example, the Internet. The clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may beconnected to the Internet 101, through the ISPs 131, 141,142. In oneembodiment, the clients 133 and 134 are coupled to the ISP 131 through anetwork 132, the client 143 is coupled to the ISP 141 and the client 144is coupled to the ISP 142. The supplier site 110 is also connected tothe Internet 101.

[0024] Although only four clients 133, 134, 143, 144 are shown in FIG.1, in actual practice, there may be fewer or significantly more clientsconnected to the system 100 than shown. Additional clients may beconnected through the same ISPs shown or through other ISPs. However,for purposes of illustration, the discussion will assume the fourclients 133, 134, 143, 144 connected to the Internet 101 through thethree ISPs 131, 141, 142.

[0025] Although any network may be used for the system 100, for thepurpose of illustration, the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 and the suppliersite 110 are shown to be connected to the Internet 101. The clients 133,134, 143, 144 may have resident therein at least one user interface (UI)application module. In one embodiment, the UI application module mayinclude an Internet browser, such as Netscape Navigator™ or MicrosoftInternet Explorer™. The clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may further include acommunication application module, such as an email application such asMicrosoft Beyond Mail™, Netscape Mail™, Eudora Pro™ or the like.

[0026] The clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may represent customers or usersof the supplier site 110. The clients 133, 134, 143,144 may access thesupplier site 110 through the ISPs 131, 141, 142, which are coupled tothe Internet 101. The clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may represent users orcustomers requesting sales-related data from a broker of a supplier thatoperates the supplier site 110. In one embodiment, one or more of theclients 133, 134, 143, 144 may represent a customer seeking an insurancepremium quote from one or more of the remaining clients 133, 134, 143and 144 where the one or more of the remaining clients 133, 134, 143 and144 represents an insurance agent or broker representing an insuranceentity.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the invention, the clients 133,134, 143, 144 may be users with any computing device capable ofaccessing the Internet 101 through the ISPs 131, 141, 142.Alternatively, some or all of the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may accessthe Internet 101 through a direct connection. The clients 133, 134, 143,144 may each have a system that comprises a personal computer having amodem module, a display module, a memory module, various input devicemodules and a central processing module. As may be appropriate, thesystems of the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may each further comprise oneor more special purpose devices optimized solely for variousapplications but with the ability to access the Internet 101.

[0028] Each of the systems associated with each of the clients 133, 134,143, 144 may include a personal computer running a Microsoft® Windows95® operating system, a Microsoft® Windows 98® operating system, aMicrosoft® Windows 2000® operating system, a Microsoft® Windows NT®operating system, a Microsoft® Windows CE operating system, a Millenniumoperating system, a Palm OS™ operating system, a Unix operating system,a Linux operating system, a Solaris™ operating system, an OS/2™operating system, a BeOS™ operating system, a MacOS operating system oranother operating system or platform. The systems associated with eachof the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 may also include a microprocessor suchas an Intel x86-based device, a Motorola 68K device, a PowerPC™ device,a MIPS device, a Hewlett-Packard Precision™ device, an Alpha™ RISCprocessor manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation, amicrocontroller or another general or special purpose device operatingunder programmed control. As will be appreciated by persons skilled inthe art, the systems of each of the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 mayfurther include an electronic memory such as a random access memory(RAM) or an electronically programmable read only memory (EPROM), astorage device such as a hard drive, a CDROM or a rewritable CDROM oranother magnetic, or optical medium, and other associated componentsconnected over an electronic bus. The systems of each of the clients133, 134, 143, 144 may also include a network-enabled appliance such asa WebTV™ unit, a radio-enabled Palm™ Pilot or a similar unit, a set-topbox, a networkable game-playing console such as a Sony Playstation™ or aSega Dreamcast™, a browser-equipped cellular telephone, or anotherTCP/IP client or other device.

[0029] The supplier site 110 may maintain a high speed, large bandwidthcommunications link to the Internet 101. The communications link mayinclude or interface to any one or more of the Internet 101, anintranet, a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), aWide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a storagearea network (SAN), a frame relay connection, an Advanced IntelligentNetwork (AIN) connection, a synchronous optical network (SONET)connection, a digital T1, T3, E1 or E3 line, a Digital Data Service(DDS) connection, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, anEthernet connection, an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line,a dial-up port such as a V.90, a V.34 or a V.34bis analog modemconnection, a cable modem, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)connection, a Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) connection, or aCopper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI) connection. The communicationslink may further include or interface to any one or more of a WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP) link, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)link, a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) link, a CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) link, a Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA) link such as a cellular phone channel, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) link, a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) link, aResearch in Motion, Limited (RIM) duplex paging type device, a Bluetoothradio link, or an IEEE 802.11-based radio frequency link. Thecommunications link may further include or interface to any one or moreof an RS-232 serial connection, an IEEE-1394 (Firewire) connection, aFibre Channel connection, an infrared (IrDA) port connection, a SmallComputer Systems Interface (SCSI) connection, a Universal Serial Bus(USB) connection or another wired or wireless, digital or analoginterface or connection.

[0030] The supplier site 110 may comprise either a single servercomputer or a multiple server computer configured to appear to theclients 133, 134, 143, 144 as a single resource. The supplier site 110may receive requests for sales-related data from any one or more of theclients 133, 134, 143, 144 through the Internet 101.

[0031] The database 120 may be located within the supplier site 110 ormay be coupled to the supplier site 110. The database 120 may storevarious software applications, interface templates for receivingcustomer information, broker information, and any other information ortemplates that may be necessary for providing sales-related data.

[0032]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a system210 for providing customized sales-related data. The supplier system 210may include a processor 202, a web server 204, a servlet engine 206, adatabase management system 208 and a web page generator 212.

[0033] The web server 204 and the servlet engine 206 may be coupled tothe systems of the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 (shown in FIG. 1) througha network, such as the Internet 101. The database management system 208may include a database server. In one embodiment, the database 120(shown in FIG. 1) may be a part of the database management system 208.Thus, in one embodiment, the database 120 may be within the suppliersystem 210.

[0034] The supplier system 210, the web server 204 and the servletengine 206, may be used by a user using a browser associated with one ofthe systems of one of the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 to accesssales-related data. A broker system may also reside on one or more ofthe remaining client systems 133, 134, 143, 144. The user using one ofthe client systems 133, 134, 143, 144 may access a plurality of webpages created by a broker system of one of the remaining client systems133, 134, 143, 144. The broker web pages may be accessed by the user byinputting a network address, such as, for example, a URL, into thebrowser. The broker web pages may include a link to the supplier system210 web site. In one embodiment, the link may be a button offeringsales-related data, such as, for example, an online insurance premiumquote.

[0035] The web page generator 212 may generate a plurality of web pagesincluding the appropriate sales-related data and customized broker dataretrieved using the database management system 208. The processor 202may execute a plurality of instructions generated by the web server 204,the servlet engine 206, the database management system 208, the web pagegenerator 212 and any other sources of instructions.

[0036] In one embodiment, the supplier system 210 may be delivered on aNetscape™ Enterprise server running on a Sun Solaris™ computer system.The database 120 may be an Oracle™ 8i database application also runningon the Sun Solaris™ computer system. In one embodiment, the entiresupplier system 210 web site may be written in HTML program code, with asales-related data provider engine being built with a plurality of JAVAservlets. In one embodiment, the web pages generated by web pagegenerator 212 may be SSL-encrypted.

[0037]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during amethod 300 for providing sales-related data pursuant to a user request.At step 301, the supplier system 210 of FIG. 2 receives a request forsales-related data from a user associated with one of the systems of oneof the clients 133, 134, 143, 144 located at a broker network address orURL affiliated with a broker web site. The requested sales-related datamay include any type of sales-related data including, for example, aninsurance premium quote. At step 302, the supplier system 210 may thenuse the broker network address or URL to access and retrieve brokerinformation from the database 120. At step 303, the supplier system 210may display at least a portion of the accessed and retrieved brokerinformation. For example, the supplier system 210 may display contactinformation including a name, a telephone number and/or an e-mailaddress of the broker web site from which the user accessed the suppliersystem 210.

[0038] At step 311, the supplier system 210 may receive thesales-related data request from the user. In order to submit thesales-related data request, the user may be requested to complete andsubmit an information form generated by the supplier system 210 usingthe web page generator 212. For example, if the sales-related datarequest is a request for an insurance premium quote, the informationform generated by the supplier system 210 may be an underwritingquestionnaire.

[0039] The information associated with the information form may requestthat the user provide a state of residence of the user, a date of birthof the user, a height, a weight, a gender of the user, and otherinformation important in determining the sales-related data to retrieveand display to the user. For example, if the requested sales-relateddata is an insurance premium quote, the information required to completethe information form may include a type of insurance coverage desired(e.g., life insurance or health insurance, etc.), an amount of insurancecoverage desired, and a country of citizenship of the user. Theinformation form may also request information concerning whether theuser has been a subject of a criminal conviction, whether the user has ahistory of drug use, a history of alcohol use, or a history of tobaccouse, whether the user has flown on a non-commercial airplane, whetherthe user typically engages in any dangerous activities (e.g.,hang-gliding, hot air ballooning, mountain or rock climbing, motorvehicle racing, skydiving, scuba-diving, etc.), a cholesterol level ofthe user, a blood pressure level of the user, and a family history or apersonal history.

[0040] The family or personal history questions on the information formmay include questions designed to ascertain whether the user has ahistory of cardiovascular disease or cancer, a history of psychologicaldisorders, a history of respiratory disorders, a history of neurologicaldisorders and/or a history of gastrointestinal disorders. The personalhistory questions may also include questions designed to ascertainwhether the user has a history of diabetes, or has been subject to atreatment for cancer and/or AIDS/HIV. The information form may include aplurality of edit fields, a plurality of radio button options and/or aplurality of drop-down fields. The user may submit the information formto the supplier system 210 by selecting a button presented on a display,such as, for example, a submit button or a next button displayed on theinformation form presented by the supplier system 210.

[0041] At step 312, the supplier system 210 may generate sales-relateddata based on the information provided by the user on the submittedinformation form. The step 312 of generating sales-related data mayinclude a sub-step of validating that proper selections have been madefor each field in the submitted information form. In one embodiment, ifthe proper fields have not been completed by the user, the suppliersystem 210 may return the user back to step 311 to the information formto indicate that a selection or a value must be entered into a fieldwhich has not been completed. In another embodiment, the supplier system210 may present the user with an error message indicating that a fieldhas not been properly completed. The supplier system 210 may alsovalidate that the correct form of information was entered into thefields on the information form associated with the user's date of birthor amount of insurance coverage desired. For example, the suppliersystem 210 may determine if the information entered is within one ormore predetermined parameters or may compare the information entered inthe fields to a predetermined format. The supplier system 210 may usethe date of birth of the user to determine the age of the user at theuser's nearest birthday (i.e., round up or down).

[0042] The supplier system 210 may also include an on-line help form. Ifthe user chooses the on-line help form, a window may pop up containinghelp content for completing the information form presented by thesupplier system 210 in step 311.

[0043] For some entries made by the user in the information form, thesupplier system 210 may display one or more predetermined dialog boxesincluding additional information that the user may require. For example,if a user selects YES for a question of whether the user has flown on anon-commercial airplane, a JAVA script pop-up dialog box may bedisplayed with text for an “Exclusion Aviation Rider.” In anotherembodiment, if the user indicates that the user engages in any of thedangerous activities included in that question of the information form,a JAVA script pop-up dialog box with legal notes for the insurancepremium quote sales-related data requested may be displayed by thesupplier system 210.

[0044] If the information form has a plurality of pages, a previous pagebutton and a next page button may be displayed at the bottom of theinformation form. The next page button may operate to submit a currentpage of the information form for validation and may then move the userto the next page of the information form if the current page has beensuccessfully validated. The previous page button may take the user backto a previous page of the information form.

[0045] Upon submission of each page of the information form, theinformation submitted by the user in response to the questions on eachpage may be written to a visitor_tracking_table of the database 120associated with the supplier system 210. At the end of submission of allof the requested information for the information form, the responses ofthe user to each of the questions may be displayed in a summarizedformat and the user may then have an opportunity to change any of theuser's responses by returning to the information form presented in step311. Alternatively, the supplier system 210 may continue to display thepages of the information form without displaying the summarized formatfor the responses.

[0046] In one embodiment, the step 312 of generating the sales-relateddata may include evaluating the information form received from the user.The supplier system 210 may display one or more pages containinginformation indicating why sales-related data may not be displayed basedon the answers given by the user in response to the questions in theinformation form. For example, in the case of a request for an insurancequote, if, as a result of the user's answers, the user is determined tofall within a particular risk class for which an online insurance quotecannot be provided, then the supplier system 210 may redirect the userto a “cannot quote on-line” page. In another embodiment, if the age ofthe user, as determined by the supplier system 210, is not within an agerange for any insurance product available for quoting, the suppliersystem 210 may redirect the user to an “age out of range” page. In yetanother embodiment, the supplier system 210 may check for aninsurability of the user using a height look-up table and a weightlook-up table. If the user's height/weight parameters are out of range,then the user may be redirected to the “cannot quote on-line” page. Ifthe supplier system 210 determines that the user should be declined forinsurance coverage, the supplier system 210 may redirect the user to a“decline to underwrite” page. If the user is in a state that does notallow on-line insurance quotes, or the information supplied by the userdoes not fall within one or more predefined parameters which indicatethat certain insurance products are not available in the user's state ofresidence, the supplier system 210 may redirect the user to the “cannotquote on-line” page for the user's state of residence, such as, a“cannot quote on-line in New Jersey” page.

[0047]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed inanother embodiment of the method for providing sales-related data inaccordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, a method 400begins at step 401, wherein the supplier system 210 may receive arequest for sales-related data for the supplier's products from a userat a broker web site. At step 402, the supplier system 210 may retrievebroker information from the database 120. At step 411, the suppliersystem 210 may request the user to select the user's state of residence.At step 412, the supplier system 210 may determine products availablefor sale to the user based on the user's state of residence. Forexample, if the supplier that hosts the supplier system 210 web site isa provider of insurance products, certain ones of such insuranceproducts may only be available for sale in particular states. At step413, the supplier system 210 may request information from the user inorder to supply the user with the sales-related data requested by theuser. At step 414, the supplier system 210 may determine one or moreparameters for the sales-related data to be generated. At step 415, thesupplier system 210 may generate the requested sales-related data. Atstep 416, the supplier system 210 may display the requestedsales-related data together with broker information relating to thebroker affiliated with the broker web site from which the user accessedthe supplier system 210.

[0048] The method 400 of FIG. 4 will be described in more detail inconnection with a situation wherein the supplier that hosts the suppliersystem 210 web site is an insurance provider and the supplier system 210is comprised of an insurance quote engine. At step 401, the insurancequote engine of the supplier system 210 may receive a request for aninsurance quote from a user accessing the supplier system 210 via abroker web site as described above with reference to FIG. 3. At step402, the insurance quote engine of the supplier system 210 may retrievebroker information to be included with subsequent pages displayed by theinsurance quote engine of the supplier system 210 to the user. At step411, the user may be prompted by the supplier system 210 to select andinput his or her state of residence. At step 412, the supplier system210 may determine the insurance products of the supplier that areavailable for sale or quotation for sale to the user based on the user'sstate of residence. Thus, for example, the supplier system 210 maydirect the user to a correct content area of the supplier system 210 website for the user's state of residence.

[0049] Within the content area for the user's state of residence, theuser may have an option to get a free on-line quote for an insuranceproduct. The supplier system 210 may validate that a selection for theuser's state of residence has been made, as described above withreference to step 312 of FIG. 3. If a valid selection has not been made,the supplier system 210 may display an error message and/or return theuser to the state selection web page and indicate that a correctselection needs to be made. Once a valid selection has been made by theuser, the selected state of residence and a current date and a time maybe written to the visitor_tracking_table of the database 120.

[0050] The supplier system 210 may request additional information fromthe user at step 413. The supplier system 210 may request theinformation by presenting the user with the information form, such asthe underwriting questionnaire discussed above. The requestedinformation may include one or more of a date of birth of the user, aheight, a weight, and a gender of the user, an amount of insurancecoverage desired by the user, a country of citizenship and/or a countryof residence of the user. The user may submit the completed informationform to the supplier system 210 by selecting either a NEXT button or aSUBMIT button. The supplier system 210 may then validate that a correctselection was made for every field on the information form presented andthat correct information was entered for a certain field, such as, thedate of birth field or the amount of insurance coverage desired field.

[0051] The supplier system 210 may return the user to the informationform if the user does not correctly complete the information form andmay indicate any fields in the information form for which values shouldbe entered. The supplier system 210 may use the input date of birth datato calculate the age of the user. Results of the questions submitted bythe user may be written to the visitor_tracking_table of the database120.

[0052] The supplier system 210 may then determine one or more parametersfor the requested sales-related data at step 414. For example, thesupplier system 210 may use the height and the weight and the age of theuser to generate sales-related data at step 415. For example, if theheight and the weight of the user places the user outside of certainallowable ranges for a particular insurance product, or if the age ofthe user is outside of the limits for insurance products available tothe user in the user's state of residence, the supplier system 210 mayredirect the user to the “decline to underwrite” page or the “age out ofrange” page, respectively. At step 416, the supplier system 210 maydisplay these pages to the user together with the broker informationretrieved at step 402.

[0053] In one embodiment, step 413 may also include a sub-step whereinthe supplier system 210 presents the user with one or more lifestylequestions to be completed in the information form such as, a questionrelating to whether the user has a criminal record, a question relatingto whether the user has a history of drug abuse, a question relating towhether the user has a history of alcohol abuse, a question relating towhether the user has a history of tobacco use, a question relating towhether the user travels by non-commercial airplane, a question relatingto whether the user engages in any dangerous activities, and a questionrelating to the user's cholesterol level and/or blood pressure level.The supplier system 210 may validate that a selection was made for everyfield on the information form. The supplier system 210 may then performthe error process described above with reference to FIG. 3 to determinewhether there are any errors on the information form. If there are noerrors, then the information form and the user are validated and thesupplier system 210 may then write the information included in theuser's information form to the visitor_tracking_table of the database120. The visitor_tracking_table may be used to generate reports totransmit to brokers or for use internally by the supplier system 210.

[0054] In one embodiment, the supplier system 210 may also present theuser with one or more family history questions with respect to theinformation form. The family history questions may include a series ofquestions relating to whether there is a history of cardiovasculardisease, cancer, psychological disorders, respiratory disorders,neurological disorders, and/or gastrointestinal disorders in the user'sfamily. The supplier system 210 then may perform the validation/errorprocess as described above.

[0055] The supplier system 210 may also present the user with a seriesof personal history questions at step 413. These personal historyquestions may include a question relating to whether the user has beentreated for any type of cancer, a question relating to whether the useris a diabetic, or a question relating to whether the user has AIDS/HIV.The supplier system 210 may then perform the validation process againand, if the user is validated, write the submitted information to thevisitor_tracking_table.

[0056] In one embodiment, the supplier system 210 may display the user'sresponses to the underwriting questions in the information form in asummarized format and allow the user to change any of the user'sresponses by returning to the information form. In another embodiment,the supplier system 210 may continue to generate the insurance quote atstep 415 and may display a quoted premium page at step 416.

[0057] In one embodiment, the step 414 for determining one or moreparameters for the sales-related data may also include a sub-step ofdetermining the user's risk class based on the user's responses to theunderwriting questions in the information form. Once the user's riskclass that has been determined, the supplier system 210 may then passthe user to a next step which includes a lookup/calculate rates process.The user's risk class may be stored in the visitor_tracking_table in arisk_code_ID field. A plurality of potential risk classes may include,for example, a preferred best risk class, a preferred non-smoker riskclass, a standard-risk class, a non-smoker risk class, a preferredsmoker risk class, a standard plus smoker risk class, a preferred bestnon-smoker risk class or a select non-smoker risk class. The riskclasses may depend upon the state of residence of the user.

[0058] The lookup/calculate rates process may be a part of theoperations performed in step 415. In one embodiment, step 415 may alsoinclude a sub-step of using one or more business rules from anunderwriting classification document to determine whether to redirectthe user to the “decline to underwrite” page.

[0059] Step 415 may further include a sub-step of looking up one or morerates for an insurance premium for an insurance product for the userbased on the user's age, state of residence, gender and risk class foreach insurance product available in the user's state of residence. Therate for the premium for the insurance product for the user may becalculated based on a formula such as, for example, Annual Premium=Rate(risk class, gender, state, age)* face value/1,000+policy fee. Thepolicy fee may be any predetermined amount such as, for example,$50/year.

[0060] The supplier system 210 may look up rates for insurance premiumsin a term_rate_table in the database 120. At step 415, the suppliersystem 210 may retrieve the rate for each insurance product available tothe user based upon the user's state of residence. The supplier system210 may then calculate the annual premium associated with each insuranceproduct.

[0061] At step 416, the supplier system 210 may display a first year'spremium for each available insurance product for the user to compare thedifferent rates associated with the insurance products. The suppliersystem 210 may also allow the user to select a particular insuranceproduct in order to obtain additional information concerning suchinsurance product. In one embodiment, the supplier system 210 may allowthe user to enter a new insurance coverage amount in order to generatedifferent quotes for premiums.

[0062] If the user selects a particular insurance product for which theuser desires to apply for coverage, the supplier system 210 may recordthe insurance product selected in the visitor_tracking_table andredirect the user to a “apply for quote” process. The “apply for quote”process may include allowing the user to provide contact information inorder that a representative for the insurance provider suppler maycontact the user in connection with an application for the selectedinsurance product. The supplier system 210 may provide the user with aform including one or more fields that the user may edit or makeselections within. The supplier system 210 may validate this form usingthe validation/error processes described above.

[0063] The supplier system 210 may generate an e-mail message to be sentto the broker from whose web site the user accessed the supplier system210. In one embodiment, the supplier system 210 may transmit the e-mailmessage to a first e-mail address of the broker if the user's state ofresidence corresponds to a state in which the broker is licensed to dobusiness. If the user's state of residence does not correspond to astate in which the broker is licensed to do business, the suppliersystem 210 may generate an e-mail message and transmit the e-mailmessage to a second e-mail address of the broker. The e-mail message(s)generated by the supplier system 210 may include the contact informationentered by the user. Finally, a last optional step in the method 400involves the supplier system 210 displaying a page to confirm receipt ofthe user's information, sending a thank-you, or displaying any otherrelated information to the user.

[0064] As is apparent from the above detailed description, the systemand method of the present invention overcomes the deficienciesassociated with various prior systems and methods for distributingsales-related data to brokers, agents and/or customers of a supplier andthe deficiencies associated with the timeliness of such sales-relateddata in prior systems and methods. The customer can access thesupplier's system remotely from a broker web site and obtain the mostcurrent sales-related data directly from the supplier's system.

[0065] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the methods and apparatus ofthe present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover themodifications and variations provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing sales-related data over anetwork comprising the steps of: receiving a request for sales-relateddata from a user at a broker address; accessing broker information froma broker information database based on the broker address; displaying atleast a portion of the broker information with at least a portion ofsubsequent information presented to the user; receiving request-relatedinformation from the user; and generating the sales-related data basedon the received request-related information.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising the steps of: asking the user to select the user'sstate of residence; and receiving the user's state of residenceselection, wherein the step of generating the sales-related dataincludes the sub-step of determining the sales-related data to generatebased on the user's state of residence selection.
 3. The method of claim2 further comprising the steps of: receiving a request from the user tosend an email to a broker; transmitting an email to a first emailaddress of the broker if the user's state of residence selectioncorresponds to a state in which the broker is licensed to do business;and transmitting an email to a second email address of the broker if theuser's state of residence selection does not correspond to a state inwhich the broker is licensed to do business.
 4. The method of claim 3further comprising the step of comparing the user's state of residenceselection with a list of states in which the broker is licensed to dobusiness.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving therequest-related information from the user comprises the sub-step ofreceiving lifestyle information from the user.
 6. The method of claim 5wherein the lifestyle information comprises at least one of a criminalrecord, a record of drug use, a record of alcohol use, a record oftobacco use, a record of engaging in high risk activities, a record ofengaging in dangerous activities, a cholesterol level, and a bloodpressure level.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receivingthe request-related information from the user includes receiving atleast one of a date of birth, a state of residence, a height, a weight,a gender, a type of product desired, and a county of citizenship.
 8. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining thesales-related data based on the received request-related information. 9.The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining the sales-relateddata includes a sub-step of using a lookup table.
 10. The method ofclaim 8 wherein the step of determining the sales-related data includesa sub-step of applying a plurality of predetermined rules to therequest-related information.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein thesales-related data comprises an insurance quote.
 12. The method of claim1 further comprising the step of requesting the request-relatedinformation from the user and returning an error message if the userfails to appropriately provide any portion of the request-relatedinformation.
 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofrequesting the request-related information from the user and returningthe user to a request-related information form if the user fails toappropriately provide any portion of the request-related information.14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining aneligibility of the user from the request-related information anddisplaying a decline message if the request-related informationindicates that the user is not eligible to purchase any one of aplurality of the available products.
 15. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising the step of displaying a targeted message if an entry in afield of the request-related information matches a stored entry of afield in a database.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the brokerinformation comprises broker contact information.
 17. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of writing data regarding the userto a visitor_tracking_table.
 18. The method of claim 17 furthercomprising the step of generating a report based on data in thevisitor_tracking_table.
 19. The method of claim 1 further comprising thestep of receiving a product selection from the user, and wherein thestep of generating the sales-related data includes a sub-step ofgenerating the sales-related data based on the received productselection.
 20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofdetermining the broker address from the user request for sales-relateddata.
 21. A system for providing sales-related data over a networkcomprising: means for receiving a request for sales-related data from auser at a broker address; means for accessing broker information from abroker information database based on the broker address; means fordisplaying at least a portion of the broker information with at least aportion of subsequent information presented to the user; means forreceiving request-related information from the user; and means forgenerating the sales-related data based on the received request-relatedinformation.
 22. The system of claim 21 further comprising: means forasking the user to select the user's state of residence; and means forreceiving the user's state of residence selection, wherein the means forgenerating the sales-related data includes means for determining thesales-related data to generate based on the user's state of residenceselection.
 23. The system of claim 22 further comprising: means forreceiving a request from the user to send an email to a broker; meansfor transmitting an email to a first email address of the broker if theuser's state of residence selection corresponds to a state in which thebroker is licensed to do business; and means for transmitting an emailto a second email address of the broker if the user's state of residenceselection does not correspond to a state in which the broker is licensedto do business.
 24. The system of claim 22 further comprising means forcomparing the user's state of residence selection with states in whichthe broker is licensed to do business.
 25. The system of claim 21further comprising means for determining the sales-related data based onthe received request-related information.
 26. The system of claim 25wherein the means for determining the sales-related data comprises alookup table means.
 27. The system of claim 25 wherein the means fordetermining the sales-related data includes means for applying aplurality of predetermined rules to the request-related information. 28.The system of claim 21 further comprising means for requesting therequest-related information from the user and means for returning anerror message if the user fails to appropriately provide any portion ofthe request-related information.
 29. The system of claim 21 furthercomprising means for requesting the request-related information from theuser and means for returning the user to a request-related informationform if the user fails to appropriately provide any portion of therequest-related information.
 30. The system of claim 21 furthercomprising means for determining an eligibility of the user from therequest-related information and means for displaying a decline messageif the request-related information indicates the user is not eligible topurchase any one of a plurality of available products.
 31. The system ofclaim 21 further comprising means for displaying a targeted message ifan entry in a field of the request-related information matches a storedentry of a field in a database.
 32. The system of claim 21 furthercomprising means for receiving a product selection from the user, andwherein the means for generating the sales-related data includes meansfor generating the sales-related data based on the received productselection.
 33. The system of claim 21 further comprising means forwriting data regarding the user to a visitor_tracking_table.
 34. Thesystem of claim 33 further comprising means for generating a reportbased on data in the visitor_tracking_table.
 35. The system of claim 21further comprising means for determining the broker address from theuser request.
 36. A method for providing sales-related data over anetwork comprising the steps of: receiving a request for sales-relateddata from a user at a broker address; requesting the user to select theuser's state of residence; determining one or more available productsbased on the user's selected state of residence; requesting the user toprovide request-related information; determining one or more parametersfor the sales-related data based on the provided request-relatedinformation; generating the sales-related data based on the determinedparameters; and displaying the sales-related information with brokerspecific information to the user, the broker specific information beingretrieved from a broker database based on the broker address.
 37. Themethod of claim 36 further comprising the step of receiving a requestfor a displayed product from the user and receiving contact informationfrom the user wherein a broker may contact the user to complete a saleof the requested product.
 38. The method of claim 36 further comprisingthe step of writing data regarding the user to a visitor_tracking_table.39. The method of claim 38 further comprising the step of generating areport based on data in the visitor_tracking_table.
 40. The method ofclaim 36 further comprising the step of generating an email to a firstemail address of the broker if the state of residence of the usermatches a state of license of the broker and generating an email to asecond email address of the broker if the state of residence of the userdoes not match a state of license of the broker.
 41. The method of claim36 wherein the step of requesting the user to provide request-relatedinformation includes a sub-step of providing the user with aninformation form.
 42. A system for providing sales-related datacomprising: means for receiving a request for sales-related data from auser at a broker address; means for requesting the user to select theuser's state of residence; means for determining one or more availableproducts based on the user's selected state of residence; means forrequesting the user to provide request-related information; means fordetermining one or more parameters for the sales-related data based onthe provided request-related information; means for generating thesales-related data based on the determined parameters; and means fordisplaying the sales-related information with broker specificinformation to the user, the broker specific information being retrievedfrom a broker database based on the broker address.
 43. The system ofclaim 42 further comprising means for receiving a request for adisplayed product from the user and means for receiving contactinformation from the user wherein a broker may contact the user tocomplete a sale of the requested product.
 44. The system of claim 42further comprising means for writing data regarding the user to avisitor_tracking_table.
 45. The system of claim 44 further comprisingmeans for generating a report based on data in thevisitor_tracking_table.
 46. The system of claim 42 further comprisingmeans for generating an email to a first email address of a broker ifthe state of residence of the user matches a state of license of thebroker and means for generating an email to a second email address ofthe broker if the state of residence of the user does not match a stateof license of the broker.
 47. The system of claim 42 wherein the meansfor requesting the user to provide request-related information includesmeans for providing the user with a request-related information form.48. A system for providing sales-related data comprising: a databasemanagement system including a database for sales-related data and brokerinformation; a server for receiving one or more requests from a user andfor serving one or more responses to the user; a processor forretrieving broker information from the database based on one or morebroker addresses and for generating sales-related data based onrequest-related information received from the user; and a displaygenerator for generating a display of the generated sales-related datawith the retrieved broker information.
 49. The system of claim 48wherein the database management system further includes a databaseserver.
 50. The system of claim 48 further comprising a servlet enginefor generating the sales-related data.
 51. A computer readable medium,the computer readable medium storing computer readable code executableto perform a process for providing sales-related data over a network,wherein the process comprises the steps of: receiving a request forsales-related data from a user at a broker address; accessing brokerinformation from a broker information database based on the brokeraddress; displaying at least a portion of the broker information with atleast a portion of subsequent information presented to the user;receiving request-related information from the user; and generating thesales-related data based on the received request-related information.52. A computer readable medium, the computer readable medium storingcomputer readable code executable to perform a process for providingsales-related data over a network, wherein the process comprises thesteps of: receiving a request for sales-related data from a user at abroker address; requesting the user to select the user's state ofresidence; determining one or more available products based on theuser's selected state of residence; requesting the user to providerequest-related information; determining one or more parameters for thesales-related data from the request-related information; generating thesales-related data based on the determined parameters; and displayingthe sales-related information with broker specific information to theuser, the broker specific information retrieved from a broker databasebased on the broker address.